Change recollection from selective to comprehensive and deceptive to protective
Alcoholics, for a few moments of pleasure, undergo the indignity of slurred speech, incoherent behavior and overall foolishness that takes a heavy toll on time, [...]
Rationalization is temptation’s spin-doctor
When we strive to lead a principle-centered life, we reject the temptations that violate our principles. However, temptation doesn’t so easily take no for an [...]
Devotion passes and surpasses the intellect
The path of devotion passes the intellect meaning that its explanation of life’s purpose can survive the scrutiny of the intellect. In fact, the Bhagavad-gita, [...]
The past won’t last if to Krishna we hold fast
We are all products of our past. The circumstances we went through and the choices we made have contributed, for better or for worse, to [...]
Choose to act your way to feelings, not feel your way to actions
“Acting our way to feelings” means choosing conscientiously to act based on our intelligence, even when our feelings don’t agree, till eventually those actions engender [...]
Information puffs us up; application builds us up
Devotion requires not the rejection of our material side, but its harmonization with our spiritual purpose. We can use our material abilities and resources in [...]
Don’t blunt the intelligence with indulgence; sharpen it with abstinence
Our intelligence is like a knife. It can cut through the surface appearance of things and see their deeper nature. Just as a knife with [...]
Our intelligence can be overcome by illusion, yet it is also the key to overcome illusion
To practice spiritual life means to wage an inner war against the illusion created by our lower desires, especially lust. The Bhagavad-gita (03.36-43) vividly outlines [...]
Let the pat on the back for our intellectual conquests not become a nail in the coffin of our devotional prospects
The Bhagavad-gita declares repeatedly that Krishna can be known only through devotion, as in 08.22, 11.53 - 11.54, 18.55, for example. Why is devotion the [...]
To be wistful is to be wasteful
We know that it is undesirable to be wasteful – whether it is in terms of water by leaving the tap on, or electricity by [...]
See the pleasure that ends in trouble as trouble, not pleasure
Education enables us to see things as they are, irrespective of how they appear to be. Thus for example a well-informed person, as contrasted with [...]
The head is the prelude to the heart, not the substitute
Our innermost need is the need to love and be loved. All our faculties including our intellectual faculty are meant to fulfill that innermost need. [...]
Study pastimes not to swoop down on their meaning, but to be swept up by their emotion
When we come across something intellectually challenging such as a crossword puzzle or a riddle, we feel stimulated and thrilled to “crack” it. We may [...]
Muster determination to master distraction
Distraction is one of the biggest problems on the path of devotion. When we strive to fix the mind on Krishna internally, then we feel [...]
Bhakti bestows the intelligence for tolerance and the taste for transcendence
Tolerance and transcendence comprise our twofold defense against temptation. Tolerance refers to the capacity to endure the presence of unwanted temptations without succumbing to them. [...]
Let intelligence be a tool for spiritual resurrection, not spiritual insurrection
Among the different species, we humans are uniquely gifted with advanced intelligence. By using this intelligence properly, we can perceive life’s spiritual dimension and approach [...]
Let the intelligence’s discrimination lead through the mind’s delusion to the heart’s devotion
We all have an inner enemy within us – some mysterious presence that impels us to act against our best interests. Different traditions refer to [...]
Spirituality values even the fools who find no value in spirituality
To appreciate the value of spirituality requires a sharp and deep intelligence that can penetrate through the surface appearance of things and ponder the core [...]
It takes great intelligence to recognize that intelligence is not great enough
Some people feel that the path of bhakti is too simplistic: “If we just do what Krishna tells, then how are we doing justice to [...]
Let intelligence guard the path from impulse to intent
Impulse is an urge that comes to us, sometimes without our conscious bidding. Intent is a decision that comes out of us, with at least some level of conscious [...]
Live for Krishna; live through Krishna; live in Krishna
“How can we live spiritually in the material world?” This question often confronts devotee-seekers. The Bhagavad-gita (12.08 - 12.12) outlines multiple descending levels at which we can [...]